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Updated: Aug 25, 2025

Utilizing 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging and Quantitative Histology to Measure Dynamic Changes in the Glucose Metabolism in Mouse Models of Lung Cancer
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Rerouting the drug response: Overcoming metabolic adaptation in KRAS-mutant cancers

Deborah Y Moss1, Christopher McCann1, Emma M Kerr1

  • 1Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7AE Northern Ireland, UK.

Science Signaling
|October 18, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Mutant KRAS drives cancer metabolism, leading to treatment resistance. Targeting these metabolic changes in the tumor microenvironment offers new hope for improving survival in KRAS-driven cancers.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Metabolism
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • KRAS mutations are prevalent in lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers.
  • Constitutively active mutant KRAS promotes metabolic reprogramming in tumor cells.
  • This metabolic rewiring contributes to therapeutic resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review metabolic alterations in KRAS-driven cancers.
  • To explore how metabolism influences therapeutic response and the tumor microenvironment (TME).
  • To identify potential metabolic targets for overcoming treatment resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of metabolic pathways in KRAS-driven cancers.
  • Analysis of the interplay between KRAS signaling, metabolism, and the TME.
  • Identification of metabolic vulnerabilities and therapeutic targets.

Main Results:

  • Mutant KRAS extensively alters cellular metabolism, supporting tumor growth and survival.
  • Metabolic pathways are dynamically regulated by cancer treatments, influencing efficacy.
  • The TME significantly impacts metabolic dependencies and therapeutic outcomes in KRAS-driven cancers.

Conclusions:

  • Metabolic reprogramming is a critical hallmark of KRAS-driven cancers.
  • Targeting specific metabolic pathways presents promising strategies to enhance treatment efficacy.
  • Interventions aimed at metabolic vulnerabilities could improve patient survival in these aggressive malignancies.

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